I’m not trying to put any undue pressure on Jermaine Dixon, but if he doesn’t make a decent contribution to Pitt basketball this year I am (not-so-)seriously considering establishing an online petition to convince Coach Jamie Dixon to never sign another JUCO player.
Well, Keith Benjamin likes how Jermaine Dixon has been looking on the court.
Benjamin likes the experience of sophomore Brad Wanamaker and the shooting ability of freshman Ashton Gibbs, but he sees junior-college transfer Jermaine Dixon as someone who can be an impact player when the Panthers begin the season in a few months.
“I like Jermaine a lot,” Benjamin said Monday night between games in Green Tree. “He’s a tough kid, plays great defense. He can shoot the ball. I think he might be the starting shooting guard. He’s very ready to play college basketball, not like any other junior-college player who has come through here. He’s ready to play Division I basketball. He’s always in the gym.
“Jermaine can come in and average 9 or 10 points a game. He’s very good at creating contact and getting fouled. He gets my thumbs-up. Look for him to have a great season.”
Dixon said he isn’t hung up on becoming a starter. “All I want to do is win,” he said.
But he does believe he can contribute in a big way to a team that has, if not a glaring weakness, at the very least a big question at shooting guard.
“I think I can come in and contribute right away,” he said. “Coach [Jamie] Dixon wants you to play defense and I like to play defense. Plus, they have a big hole to fill. They have great pieces around it. I just want to be another of the pieces.”
I’m happy to be here. I just want to help the team. I’ll do what ever I can, and… Sorry, started channeling Bull Durham.
It is amusing that even Benjamin seemed to acknowledge that the last three JUCO players — his teammates — have all been stiffs.
Ashton Gibbs has shown in the summer league that he can hit threes as well as he did in high school. By all accounts Bradley Wanamaker has been playing with a lot more confidence and poise. Wanamaker seems to understand how much faster the game is at college versus high school and now things are slowing down for him to see more of it.
For Wanamaker it really seems that the summer league has done a lot to make him feel more comfortable and confident about his own game.
Wanamaker has averaged 23 points over his last three games and has played in every game of the summer. That’s a tough thing to do with summer classes, but Wanamaker’s time spent in this summer league has been well worth it. He looks more confident driving to the basket, more confident with his jump shot, and looks like a natural at the point guard position. He is showing that he would be capable of giving Fields some rest while learning the position. It’s also possible he could be the Panthers’ sixth man at this point.
Even though the summer league is a far cry from next year’s Big East Tournament and NCAA Tournament, a Brad Wanamaker with this kind of confidence is a good thing to have in July. Wanamaker himself is first to admit it, and he credits the competition in this summer’s league.
“I love it: you’re going up against someone different everyday,” Wanamaker said. “It’s not just about going against your teammates. You get to go against someone else every night. I’ve been playing with a lot more confidence. I’ve been working on my jump shot. It makes me feel more comfortable, to shoot in a game. It’s fun.”
Wanamaker seems to also get that he doesn’t fit as a true shooting guard and seems to be working hard at being at least a competent back-up to Levance Fields at the point. Versatility will be the way he gets more minutes.
